WJPA Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit his team-leading 19th home run of the season and Henry Davis had a two-run blast as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Seattle Mariners 5-1. Lowe’s homer was a solo shot off Bryce Miller with one out in the bottom of the first inning to open the scoring. He added an RBI single in a two-run eighth. Lowe also leads the Pirates with 51 runs batted in after being acquired from Tampa Bay in an offseason trade. Rookie Bubba Chandler pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win. Miller tied his career high with 11 strikeouts in just 5 2/3 innings.

The NHL has cleared the Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospective buyer.  U.S.-based Hoffmann Family Companies announced this week that it had received unanimous approval from the NHL Board of Governors to acquire the team.  In a release, the company said the transaction is expected to close “imminently.” Financial terms were not disclosed.  George Hoffmann will serve as the team’s governor, alongside alternate governors Greg Hoffmann, CEO of the HF Companies’ real estate arm; Kyle Dubas, Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations; and David Hoffmann, founder and chairman of HF Companies.  HF Companies would take ownership from Fenway Sports Group, which purchased the Penguins in 2021 for $900 million from Ron Burkle and Lemieux.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark left the Indiana Fever’s loss to Phoenix with a back injury in the third quarter. The All-Star guard has been dealing with a back issue this season and left with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter. She went back to the locker room and didn’t return. Clark appeared to tweak her back in the second quarter when she was fouled shooting a 3-pointer in the second quarter. She fell to the ground and was rubbing her back as she stood up. In the first quarter she went back to the tunnel and returned to the bench wearing a wrap around her back. She finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes.